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Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

The book of Genesis and the book of Revelation have more in common than most people realize.

Revelation is a record of prophecy as to the end, or destruction of this flesh earth age.

When Jesus talks about the planting of the seed, and the offspring of that seed [children]; we will see in Genesis the meaning of this and find out just what Jesus was teaching us through His parables.

We will see in Matthew 13:35 where Jesus is teaching, in parables, the secrets of the prophets of the Old Testament.

They were secrets
hidden and not understood by mankind
from the foundation of the world [Kosmos; in the Greek}.

The name "Genesis" is not even a Hebrew word, but a Greek rendition out of the Septuagint, which is part of the Torah. The original Hebrew name of this book was "The Beginnings".

Those that stand and use this Word of God as the basis for placing the age of the earth at 6000 years, don't understand the original Hebrew text.
If you just look around and observe nature, it is easy to document that this earth is many millions of years old.
It is true that the traces of Adamic man only can only be traced to about that 6000 year period of time.

The verse not only did not say when, but left "the eternal span of time"
totally to our imagination
and
how the creation took place.

In Proverbs 8:22 we read of wisdom speaking through Solomon. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before the works of old."

Rev. 12:1
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Can you SEE the PICTURE. She is a very beautiful woman.

The word "wonder" means "sign" and so John saw a great sign in heaven, and wondrous it was. Would you like see one? Go outside on any clear night and look up at the stars, and wondrous it will be. And if you are familiar with the uncorrupted Zodiac the plan of God will appear, for it is the Bible in the stars. Did not God say in Genesis 1:14 that the lights in the firmament of the heaven are to be for SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and years? Yes He did. And He numbered and named them ALL.

And so you can begin with "The prophecy of the promised seed", Virgo, the virgin, who brings forth the man child and travel through the redeemer's conflict, etc., to Leo and destruction of the old serpent. It was declared in the "beginning of time" and repeated in Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (You must read appendix 12 in the Companion Bible or and/or obtain the book "The Glory of the Stars" by E. Raymond Capt.)

Of course, just as the written Word of God has been corrupted by the traditions of men and made of none effect, so has the Zodiac, the Word of God written in the stars, been corrupted by men and reduced to superstition and daily fortune telling by the silly and the ignorant, and also made of none effect.

So what about this woman in verse one who is clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars? She symbolizes mother Israel and her 12 Royal sons, stars, chosen before the foundation of this earth age, through whom would come Messiah. Do you remember the dream that one of those stars had in this earth age while in the flesh? His name was Joseph, son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.

Genesis 37:9
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

Eleven "stars", sons, made obeisance to the twelfth, Joseph.

Rev. 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Notice that the woman hasn't given birth yet to the Messiah and in fact would not until this earth age for which she is travailing, i.e. sorrowing. The time just before the "birth of a new age" is always liken to the labor pangs, the travailing of a woman. As Christ would say regarding the signs just before the end of this age, "these are the beginnings of sorrows" (look up "sorrows", it means "travail", labor pangs) Mark 13:8. Also see Romans 8:22 and 1 Thes. 5:3.

John now SEES the second wonder, the bad guy, the one who rebelled and fell in the "world that then was".

[3] And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Can you SEE the PICTURE? He is a very ugly beast, in contrast to the very beautiful woman!

The dragon is Satan (see verse 9) and he has his seven heads, symbolic of his 7,000 royal priests with the breastplates on (Remember? They get zapped at the return of Christ in Rev. 11:13), and ten horns, symbolic of power. We'll find in verse 9 that his angels get booted out of heaven and come with the dragon, Satan, to this earth. When? At the second Woe Trump, remember? So we see Satan's power structure in the "world that then was" which caused the "fall" of 1/3 of the "stars" which we'll see in verse 4.

And when we get to the next chapter, chapter 13, we'll see this creep, Satan the beast, with almost exactly the same power structure he had in first earth age of which we just read. The difference is he has handed out three promotions and elevated them to royal, priestly status, i.e. he has three more crowns.

Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Again, we'll cover this in more detail when we get to it, but you already know that waters and the sea are the peoples of the world (Rev. 17:15). And when you wear the title (name) of Priest of Christ on your forehead, and you're one of Satan's own, it sure is blasphemous, wouldn't you say?

One last thought on Rev. 12:3. He is called the "Red" dragon. Look up "red" in Strong's Concordance and your see that it is "purrhos" from "pur" meaning "fire" or "literal or figurative, specially lightning". And so Jesus Christ would say regarding this fire breathing dragon in Luke 10:18 "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Do you know what Satan did in the first earth age? It is revealed to us in the very next verse. It is the reason that you and I are here on this earth, in these flesh bodies, today!

Rev. 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Oh, Satan drew 1/3 of God's children into his camp of deception and caused their downfall, "brought them down" as we say, cast them to the earth! Got it? There's now big trouble in God's family! One third of His children have forsaken Him.

Our Father then held the first judgment of one of His sons, Lucifer. And He sentenced him to "perish", to die the 2nd Death in the lake of fire. So you can see there was a price to pay for sin even in the "world that then was". That price was death! Satan's sentence is so recorded in Ezekiel 28:

Ezekiel 28:18-19
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

"And never shalt thou be any more" is exactly what "perish" means! Satan is even called the son of perdition, the son who will perish. He's as good as dead which is why he is also called "death", to whom some of you will be delivered up to.

But our loving Father did not judge the rest of His children, because the penalty for those found guilty would be death also! Sentencing your children to die is not something anyone would want to do. So He postponed that judgment until after the Millennium, after His plan to salvage His children, His plan of salvation, was fulfilled.

He would make man, His sons, to dwell in flesh bodies fashioned after the very likeness of themselves, and yet be born innocent, which is WITHOUT knowledge of the world that then was. That way they could be free from interference to chose whether to love God or once again follow Satan's tail.

But the penalty for sin would still be death and so our Father, in His infinite love for His children, decided to pay the price Himself, to DIE FOR US, in our stead, that we might be redeemed to Him and love Him as He so wants His children to do. Is that not the most awesome thing you've ever heard?

Those of you who have children know full well that you cannot order or command or decree by law that your children love you. It must come from their hearts. And so it is with our Father and we His children. The price has been paid. We can live eternally with Him, if we'll turn to Him and love Him, for He first loved us and He still does.

What say ye?

We've seen the two great signs in heaven. One was a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The sun "solar" represents the "sun of righteousness", Jesus Christ, and the moon "lunar, having no light of it's own" represents the "lunatic", Satan. So you could say that the woman, mother Israel, was clothed or covered, even protected by the LORD, wrapped in His arms. And of course the moon is under her feet where the footstool belongs.

Then we saw a great red dragon with seven crowned heads and ten horns. This is Satan and his power structure in the "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6), before this flesh age, where his tail drew, i.e. dragged down, a third of God's children to rebel against our Father and follow after him.

And we saw the dragon, Satan, standing before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was to be born. It was to be born at the appointed time, at the first advent in this earth age. So we now jump ahead to that time.

Rev. 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

This brings us to Mary, who gave actual birth to Christ, but as you know, to get to this point and bring forth the promised Messiah (Gen. 3:15) from mother Eve on, was no small task as that great red dragon, that old serpent, tried to devour the "seed" from the beginning.

And this "man child" was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, which didn't happen when He walked this earth and hasn't happened yet. He was born an innocent babe and died to pay the price for our sins. It is when Christ returns, at His second advent, that He takes command of all nations with the rod of iron.

Rev. 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

What a day the sounding of that 7th Trump, announcing the Day of the Lord, that Day of Vengeance, will be. Meanwhile "her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne" where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, and He will remain there until all His enemies are His footstool.

Hebrews 10:12-13
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Neither Jesus nor Satan are present on earth, in person, at this time. And we have documented time and again that they both are returning, in person, soon. Satan comes at the 6th Trump and Christ comes at the 7th Trump. Let no man deceive or confuse you by any means. Of course, both the Holy Spirit and Satan's evil spirit, as the prince and power of the air, are present now.

Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days

Proverbs 8:23; "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." This is stating that wisdom was with God, and He possessed me.

Proverbs 8:24;"When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water." Before there was any need of an abyss, or pit, and the water to fill them, God's wisdom was there.

Proverbs 8:25; "Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:"

Before the earth even took on it's present form, with the high mountains and rolling hills, God's wisdom was there. My fellow Christian, God's wisdom played His part in the creation of this earth, and all wisdom comes from God.

Proverbs 8:26; "While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the high part [beginning] of the dust of the world."

God was there in wisdom before that first little atom, or speck of dust of the earth was formed. Before the laws of God that control the energy forces came into being, God's wisdom was there.

Proverbs 8:27; "When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass [circle] upon the face of the depth:"

Proverbs 8:28; "And when established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:"

Proverbs 8:29; "When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment: when He appointed the fountains of the earth:"

In other words, there was land, and oceans, and fields and lakes, and God set His commandment that they should be separated through the "compass" which He set.

This is the force which separates all water from dry land. When the waves hit the rocks of the shoreline, they resend back into the sea by the gravitational forces of the earth.

For example, God allowed Job to be tested by both Satan and his fellow man, in the first thirty seven chapters of the Book of Job. However, after 37 chapters of man's nonsense, ramblings, and bad advice by those around Job, God spoke to Job.

Job 38:1, 2; "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?"

Job had been tested to the point of losing His entire family, all his property, and had been inflicted by sores and sickness, yet, he did not curse God. He was in a poor frame of mind when God again came to Job.

Job 38:3; Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me."

God told Job to straighten up and be a man, and listen to what He is about to tell Job. Then God spells out to Job how He laid out the foundations of the earth and the heaven, and all matters concerning them.

Then for the rest of Job 38 and continuing in Job 39 we can see the same wisdom we read about in Proverbs 8. God told Job how He put the universe all together.

Our God is infinite in wisdom and power,
Yet His love for His children is so great that He allowed Himself to be killed as a man, on the cross at Calvary.

In this love that He demonstrated for His children, He made it possible that we could approach Him as His child for our every need.

This humbled Job before God, as it should to each of us, and He fell apart [Job 40]. God once again told Job to stand "like a man, and give answer to Him".

Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep."

He is the Holy Spirit, and it is God's Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters.

In the Hebrew translation of the word, "was", as used in this verse "...the earth was without form,..."; in the original text it reads "became without form...". This same mistranslation of the word "became", and turning it into the word "was" is also present in Genesis 2:7. It should read there; "..and man became a living soul."

The correct Hebrew translation from the Massoretic Hebrew text for the words, "without form" is "tohu-va bohu" in the Hebrew Strong's dictionary. So we see that the earth was not "created without form", but it "became [tohu] without form and void". Lets go to Strong's Hebrew dictionary, reference number 1961 to verify the word "was", that we read in this verse. "Yahah, haw-yaw; a prime root, to exit; to become, or come to pass." [#1961]

Now lets continue in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary to get the true meaning for the word "void". # 2258, on page 36 tells us that we have to go to # 2254 for the prime on the meaning of this word "void". # 2254; "Chabal, khaw-bal; to wind tightly as a rope, to bind, to pervert, destroy, to corrupt, spoil, travail," This corresponds with its other use in # 2255, which reads; "to ruin".

"Tohu" of the earth, then means that total destruction had come to pass upon the earth. The second "was" in the verse is in italics type because there is no verb "to be" in the Hebrew language. One of the problems in translating the Hebrew into English is that the verb, "to be" is not distinguished from the verb, "to become".

At the end of Genesis 1:1 the first earth age ceased to exist in its previous form.

There was an entire earth age that existed between verses one and two of Genesis chapter one.

This first earth age is spoken of in II Peter, Jeremiah, Proverbs, and Jude.

We will look into these Scripture passages and try to understand the deeper meaning of our Father's Word.

Because If you don't understand that there was a first earth age, you will not understand why God would say in Malachi 1:3; "And I hated Esau...".

It was in the first earth age that God hated Esau, because of what Esau did in that first earth age. It was what Esau's soul did in that age that so angered God; and that anger passed on to the embryo of Esau, when his soul entered into this earth age. See Romans 9:13.

This verse, then, does verify the fact that our earth is older than 6,000 years old.

But, no matter how old this earth is, it is the only place we, in our animal like flesh and blood bodies, can live and survive.

We are not to worship God's creation; we are to worship the creator, our Heavenly Father. God is in control of all of His creation, and He destroyed all forms of life that lived on the earth from the first earth age.

In Isaiah 45:18; "For thus saith the Lord That created the heavens; God Himself That formed the earth and made it; He hath established it He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: "I am the Lord; and there is none else."

This is God speaking as Isaiah is writing it down, and He is telling us that when He created the earth, it was not in vain. "Vain" is the same Hebrew word that we saw in Genesis 1:2, which was given as "void". God created this earth to be lived on, and to be inhabited. Genesis 1:1 told us that God created the earth to be inhabited. The "Tohu", the "destruction", was not part of the creation plan of verse one, but came after the fall of Satan in that first earth age, when one third of all the souls followed Satan. God, in His anger destroyed that earth and that is how we find it in verse two.

We find more documentation concerning the first earth age in II Peter 3. In fact we can read of all three earth ages, as Peter becomes a witness to the fact.

II Peter 3:5; "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:" [heaven and earth #1, as we find them in Genesis 1:1]

II Peter 3:7; "But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." [heaven and earth #2, as we find them after Genesis 1:2]

Caution to students of God;s Word - Please remember two things when using our American Wisdom Series studies:
#1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it? Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "studies". These studies contain knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.
May the Holy Spirit be your only guiding light. Sincerely, John Rhine

II Peter 3:5; "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:" [heaven and earth #1]

The earth came about by "the word of God", God's speech. Some ministers preach that this was Noah's flood, well let's see.

II Peter 3:6; "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"

When you drive out on the highway today,
and look at the road cutaways, through mountains,
you can see the layers that the ages and time have formed over the eons of years.
You say this earth is 6000 years?
Even a child should know better than that.

II Peter 3:7; "But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are dept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." [heaven and earth #2]

This earth age will not be destroyed until God's time of judgment on the ungodly men of this earth age comes to a close. that time of perdition [destruction] is after the millennium, and after the judgment.

II Peter 3:8; "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

One week is 7000 years, and we are coming to the Sabbath of that week very shortly, which the common name for the next thousand years is "the Millennium age".

The Millennium age is the first thousand years after Jesus Christ returns to earth at the seventh trumpet to establish his kingdom here on earth.

All souls at that time will not be in the flesh bodies, but in another dimension. They will exist in their incorruptible bodies, spiritual bodies, spoken of in I Corinthians 15:50-54.

You will not meet Jesus Christ coming at the second advent until the seventh trump. Satan comes at the sixth trump, and you will be living in your flesh body for the coming of Satan, but not for the coming of Jesus Christ. Paul warned us in I Corinthians 15:50-52."

I Corinthians 15:50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

At Christ's second coming, flesh and blood cannot inherit or enter into that kingdom here on earth. The kingdom of God will be here on the entire earth then. Flesh and blood is corruption, and it is these flesh bodies. Incorruption is our spiritual bodies that are ageless.

I Corinthians 15:51 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,"

There is a moment in time when there will be no more death on this earth. Why? Because at that moment, every soul living in their flesh body will be changed from their corruptible flesh bodies, into their incorruptible spiritual bodies as we had in the first earth age and will have for the next thousand years [The Millennium] .

I Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead [corruptible] shall be raised [changed to] incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Faster than you can wink your eye, at the last, the seventh trump all souls, both the spiritually dead souls and the souls who know the Lord, living in their flesh bodies will be changed instantly. So do you see why Jesus was warning these daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for your children living in that day. Those that fall for Satan will be too ashamed to face our Lord at His coming. Most ministers today lead their entire flock to worship at Satan's feet. At this time Satan will be thrown into the pit, and his army of fallen angels that are not in their flesh and blood bodies will go back to the abyss to await the time of their destruction

II Peter 3:10; "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

So we have witnessed in II Peter 3 that there are three earth ages,
and three heaven ages that correspond with the earth age periods of time.

We see also in Jeremiah 4 that there is another witness to the fact of these three earth ages.

Jeremiah 4:22; "For My people is foolish, they have not known Me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

There are very few that can quote you anything from the Bible, except those parts that can give them personal gain.

The translators were kind to use the word "sottish", for the word means just plain "stupid", or "silly".

The nature of mankind today is to "make a buck any way that he can". Their minds are evil constantly, as they were in the days of Noah. However, in the ways of goodness, and doing right, there is a void.

Jeremiah 4:23; "I beheld the earth, and, lo it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light."

There simply was no life form existing on this earth at the close of the first earth age in any form.

Jeremiah 4:24; "I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly."

This is why the magnetic north is 90 miles off true north? God shook the earth and everything moved from its foundations at the time the destruction "tohu" took place.

Jeremiah 4:25; "I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled."

No man, no animals, and not even the birds were left alive. The earth was covered with water, and life could not exist.

There was no boat floating around on the surface,
for the span of time could have been for thousands of years,
or a much greater time, even billions of years.

Jeremiah 4:26; "I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger."

Yes there were cities at that time, and God's anger and fury against Satan, and the third of God's children that followed Satan, caused God to destroy that entire earth age, and all that was part of it.

Now we know what God warned Noah about in Hebrews 11:7 when He must have told Noah, "I shook her once and know I'll shake her again." The only thing that will be left standing then, is that which is unshakeable, and it will only be those who have repented, and have Jesus Christ in their heart. They are those souls that were sealed in their minds, and did not bow to the false-ichrist, his system, or take his name, nor his number.

Jeremiah 4:27; "For thus hath the Lord said, "The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end."

God allowed the waters of the first earth age to recede, and from it came a condition whereby we can live in this second earth age.

Each soul, or God's child, will pass through this flesh earth age once, and we have the choice to chose either light or darkness; Jesus Christ or Satan.

When God created each soul and gave it free will, He cannot force that soul to love Him. You cannot buy love, or it will be a false love. God is looking for your tender love; from within your free soul. It is your choice.

So we have documented from the Bible that there was an earth age prior to this earth age we now live in. God created that first earth age in good standing to be inhabited, as it was written in Isaiah 45:18; then after this it became "without form and void" [in the Hebrew, "Tohu va bohu"].

Because Satan brought sin into the world of that first earth age. and that sin was so great that one third of all God's children followed Satan, and that sin brought God's anger upon the whole world.

It was then that Satan was sentenced to the death of his soul. This is why Satan is called the "son of perdition" in II Thessalonians 2:3, and John 17:12. Satan refused to repent, as God allowed him the time to get right with Him. God created that first earth age in good standing to be inhabited, as it was written in Isaiah 45:18; then after this it became "without form and void" [in the Hebrew, "Tohu va bohu"].

Verse three starts after the first earth age, after the rebellion of Satan [The Chabal], and after the total destruction of the first earth age and all life forms on it

Genesis 1:4 "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

When the Holy Spirit of God, the "Ruach" in the Hebrew, moved upon the face of the earth; there is light, for He [the Holy Spirit] is light. Without the Holy Spirit there is total darkness, so the Holy Spirit of God, on the first day started His work.

This is also the start of God's plan, which includes you and me, and all of God's children.

The choice is choosing between the "Light", which is the Spirit of God,
and "darkness". which is the spirit of Satan.

Ezekiel 28:12-19 declares Satan, "the King of Tyrus", to be that darkness.

So if your choice be darkness, verse 18 declares your destination after judgment: "I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth..."

In turn, all prophecies dealing with Satan, his wickedness, and his children are given in months, or moons. [moons have no light of their own] Satan's children, then are called the "children of darkness", or "of the night". [see Revelation 13:4, 5] Satan is the darkness that is the negative part of God's plan. Satan was here from the beginning of this earth age, because God allowed it. [God has a use for Satan within His plan God has to provide for our salvation.]

Genesis 1:6 "And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

Genesis 1:7 "And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so."

Genesis 1:8 "And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

What does the word "heaven" mean here? In the Hebrew test it is the "high and lofty", or "the upper place". So on the second day the Spirit of God moved the waters, and divided the waters. He placed a space, or firmament in between these two bodies of water, and kept one of the bodies of water on the earth, with the other body of water above the space, or in the heavens. The waters below existed as the oceans today exist.

To show how objects can be set stationary in the heavens, in modern day technology that most nations of the earth use today, we have satellites set in space orbit for communication. This process is so common, even third world countries have their own satellites. These physical masses use the gravity pull of the earth, balanced with an equal centripetal force that would throw the satellite out into space; to suspend these objects into a stationary place [orbit] with respect to the earth.

The book, "Waters Above" gave the theory of how it was done, and when the Voyager II space craft passed by the planet "Uranus"; we saw it in reality. How the separation of two bodies of water by God [not clouds], placed one body of water on the earth, and the other floating, suspended above the earth, with a space [firmament] in-between.

Genesis 1:9 "And God said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:" and it was so."

In Noah's flood it took months for the waters to settle, however on this third day of creation God spoke it, and it happened. This is the first day that "dry land" appeared on earth in this earth age.

Genesis 1:10 "And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good."

There was nothing chaotic here, but everything was done in order. With the protection from the sun's rays by the "water above", and the dew to water the earth below; things were pretty good.

Genesis 1:11 "And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:" and it was so."

Genesis 1:12 "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

The heavens, and the water separation came about on the second day, and now it wasn't until the third day that "dry land appeared". There is simply no room for evolution in the creation of the heavens and earth, as we see and witness it in this earth age. Everything that exists, whether creating, making, acting, moving, and speaking are ascribed to the Living God. There is absolutely no area that can be rendered to chance, without a flat denial of Divine Revelation.

However, birds still build their nests today as they did 6000 years ago. The moment we pass the boundary line, and enter the "Divine sphere", no trace or vestige of evolution is seen. There is growth and development within each "kind", but no passing, change, or evolution out of one kind, and entering into another kind. The evolutionist demonstrates his evolution as a chain of processes and changes, all interacting within each other. However, in actuality, all he has is a bag of individual chain lengths which cannot be demonstrated today as ever taken place, even once. There simply is no connecting of one "kind" of creature specimen to another "kind" of creature.

In fact scientists have conducted many DNA tests to prove insects a common parentage between a number of kinds of insects. However, they proved that there was no way that these different kinds of insects could have ever come from common parentage. It is interesting how the scientific world hushed this fact up, as they are now trying to prove the reliability of this new scientific tool, called DNA.. The "Learning Channel" ran a documentary on this particular set of DNA testing in early 1995, and the results of those tests, and pointed out the conflict between the tests, and the evolution theory.

Each part, or form of the "theory on evolution" is only invented to explain a partial area of the phenomena of created things. The Word of God, we will see, claims to cover all the ground through Divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Man uses the term "higher critic", to give authority to those using human assumptions and reasoning; instead of using sound documentation of physical evidence, and manuscripts of the Word of God.

The chaos that came after the first age is being rejuvenated into a new order of things [life]. The grass, herbs, trees, and other vegetation kind is brought back to carry on as it did in the first age; from it's own seed. Everything after it's kind.

Genesis 1:14 "And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:" and it was so."

The moon and the sun are both given for signs, for planting and to control tides, seasons, and the weather. We dig for clams by the position of the moon, as well as the planting of potatoes. However, there is another separating taking place, and that is the separation of day from night, and light from darkness.

Here in the fourth day, and we now have a moon, sun, stars, and all the other heavenly bodies of the universe. It is in the fourth day that the earth has a constant orbit around the sun, which sets the season, and gives us a uniform standard, which we call time. Now we have a standard day, which is divided into years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds.

The other part of the universe which most of the world follows closely today, are the signs of the zodiac. These signs of the zodiac are comprised of twelve major star groupings, called constellations. These star groupings form a belt which circles the sky on a plane which follows the earth's orbit around the sun. These twelve signs of the zodiac are part of a universal language of Astronomical science. It is well known that from the earliest man, his ancient astronomical charts will allow modern astronomers to pinpoint to the year, the time of charting.

David wrote about this in Psalm 19:1-4; "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork. [verse 1] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [verse 2] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. [verse 3] There line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. [verse 4]

Genesis 1:14 "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:" and it was so."

As we look up in a dark clear night, God's handiwork comes alive. The billions of twinkling stars cover the entire sky as a blanket.

Genesis 1:15 "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:" and it was so."

Genesis 1:16 "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also."

Genesis 1:17 "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,"

Genesis 1:18 "And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good."

Number "four" in biblical numerics stands for earth. Everything about the earth is divided into four; the four quarters, the four seasons, the four points of the compass, and on and on.

Genesis 1:20 "And God said, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."

Lets take a closer look at the word "Life", for in the Hebrew text that word reads "Nephesh", which is "soul" in the English. The word "naphesh", though it means soul, is not always used as we think of soul within mankind, for there are twelve classifications of the word "naphesh".

The classification form used in this sixteenth verse is the first and lowest form applied to life, and is directed only to the very lowest animal forms. Though "nephesh" is used 754 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is used in the lower case form [to lower animals] only twenty two times. It is applied to the "soul of man" 472 times.

So we see that on this fifth day of the creation, the first life formed were in the seas, and oceans; Then came the birds of the air. God gave each of these creatures, from the tiniest single cell life form, to the whale, their "naphesh" [Life]. In each kind of life formed, God gave the ability to do all the functions within the limits of that kind, and no more.

Genesis 1:21 "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Evolution just doesn't fit into the order of creation. When God created every living thing to reproduce "after their kind", it eliminates the mutations through chance over a long period of time, and that is required in acceptance of their own evolution theories.

Genesis 1:22 "And God blessed them saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."

Make a mental note of the fact that sea and ocean life are created, and then the winged fowl. However, man has not been created yet. The creation cycle form starts with, "And God said". When the cycle is completed, and that part is completed, we then read; "God blessed it".

Genesis 1:24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:" and it was so."

Here again is the word creature, or nephesh, for soul; as we saw in verse twenty. It is referring to the classification of lower animal life. These creature life forms include all insect life, wild animal forms such as the cat family, dog family, elephants, as well as all other wild beasts, of which many are extinct today.

Genesis 1:25 "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Kind after kind, and "each after his own kind"; each of these families of animals reproduced and spread throughout the earth, populating the entire earth. Each kind living in accordance to the climate, substance, and terrain God intended each of their animal forms to survive in.

Genesis 1:26 "And God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Note: Question: Who are the (us) in Genesis 1:26? Answer: They are all of our souls, yours and mine, (we in our angelic celestial bodies) as we had from the time we were created millions, possibly billions, of years ago and still had after God created the 1st earth age for us to live in until that 1st earth age was destroyed by God, in His fierce anger after 1/3 of us followed Lucifer, now called Satan, in his overthrow attempt during the 1st earth age and now exist with God in heaven waiting our turn to come to earth again via the womb to live for a short while (today, most likely 100 years or less in this terrestrial body) the shadow of real life and death, in a animal body, during this 2nd earth age, which God created to provide us with a way to save our souls from certain death (the second death, i.e. the death of our soul just as Lucifer/Satan is sentenced to die).

God set out to make man exactly the way he is. Man was then created to look like the exact image of God, and his sons; the angels/us. If you ever wondered what an angel looks like? Then look into a mirror, for we are created in their image.

Note that God created first the fish, then the fowl, and then the beasts. Following their creation and multiplying, God created the races of mankind. God then gave man the dominion over all the animal kingdom. Man is the highest form of all life on this earth, though many movements today act as if they don't know it. When they place and value their soul little more then animal life.

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."

Each of these souls or people (us), having been created, God only knows how long ago as spirit beings with celestial bodies, now stood ready to pass through this earth age in animal like terrestrial bodies.

So it was on this sixth day that both man and woman of all races were formed, and each after their kind. Yes, all forms of mankind red, yellow, black [brown], are all created in the image of God.

On the sixth day, "male and female created He them". God created all the races, however, in the creation of "Adam" we will see in the next chapter that God stated purpose for Adam, and His intent for the Adamic race are that they are "to till the ground." That means that they are to be farmers, while here, mankind was created to be hunters and fishers and gatherers.

Genesis1:28 "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

The intent of God was to have each race multiply. For God created all that is necessary for all mankind to exist. "Replenish" is translated properly, and the command is to replenish the earth. This earth had a population of men in the first earth age; it was inhabited by God's children. [although not in, flesh and blood, animal type bodies] Satan caused one third of all God's children to fall, and follow him, and the result of that fall angered God. That is when "the earth became [tohu-va bohu] a waste and desolation", as recorded in verse two.

God is now commanding the races to multiply and "repopulate" the earth. It is interesting though, following Noah's flood in Genesis 9:1; "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, "be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth."

These are the only two places in the Bible where the word "replenish" is used, and both deal with the time following a destruction of the earth and mankind by a flood. To replenish anything, means that it had to exist prior, and in the same form. What is interesting though, is that evolutionist can find animal forms dating back thousands of years prior to any skeletal remains of mankind. In fact the earliest specimens of man was carbonated to within the limits of God's creation. It was the link that evolutionists claimed to be the link between monkey and man. However, by other testing, it turned out to be a chimp. Strange huh? Remember, "kind after kind'.

God made man, and all things for His pleasure. Have you given Him any pleasure lately. Have you stopped to thank Him for your blessings, or just to tell Him that you love Him. You know that you are made in His image, and He has feelings just as you or I do. When you fall short, just ask His forgiveness and He will forgive you, for He loves all of His children.

Genesis 1:29 "And God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

God is giving instruction here to man. He told this group of people to go and eat of the fruits of the trees, and plant life. This vegetation are there for man's consumption.

Genesis 1:30 "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat:" and it was so."

Notice that the plant life that was given for "meat", was given to both man and beast. The idea and practice of eating flesh never was ordained by God as food until after Noah's flood. This is recorded in Genesis 9:2, 3.

Genesis 9:2, 3 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered." [verse 2] Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." [verse 3]

"Life" in this verse is translated "Naphesh" in the Hebrew text. It is classified and used in this form as applying only to "lower form animals". However in this case it is used to show life within, and not the presence of an "eternal soul", as in man.

Genesis 1:31 "And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

At the close of the sixth day the earth and all life form's, plant and animal alike, were in existence. The condition of the earth was again habitable, and all the stars and planets were set in their places in the heavens. We know that the condition of the earth was such that God intended for mankind to have a very lengthy life span. The age of mankind that is recorded in the Bible prior to the flood of Noah's time, was upwards of eight to nine hundred years, and greater. We also must agree that it was good, for God repeated; "and it was very good" after days creation.

There has developed a foolish idea that the African American race came from a sin of Ham, "when he looked upon his fathers nakedness". The meaning of the verse in Genesis 9:22-23 is explained in Leviticus 18:8. "The nakedness of thy father is to lay with thy father's wife [your mother". In Ham's case, we saw that the product of that sin relationship between Ham, and his mother, was the birth of "Canaan", Ham's son. That is why Noah (not God) cursed Canaan, and set a curse upon Canaan's children.

Both Noah's wife and Ham [Noah's son] were white, and of the individual man 'eth-ha-adham' Adamic race, for we are told such in Genesis 6:9. The child Canaan was also of the same race, and simple common sense will tell you so. This curse on Canaan was not placed by God, but by Noah. He was angry with his son, but this curse certainly would not be the creation of a black race, or any race. All children of incest are still of the same kind as it's parents. The races were created on day six, prior to God forming 'eth-ha-adham' "Adam and his help meet Eve" as described in Genesis chapter 2.

I feel personally that all races go back much farther then the Adamic race, maybe even a thousand years or greater, however it is speculation, (I only believe that because 'eth-ha-adham' "Adam and his help meet Eve", the grand parents of the virgin Mary, were formed as described in Genesis chapter two, and the races (male and female) were created as described in Genesis chapter one on the sixth day) for there is no written documentation, except those buried in the stones and bones of prior generations. I call the forming of 'eth-ha-adham' "Adam and his help meet Eve" as happening on a eighth or later day, only because God placed it in the Bible after he talked about His day of rest.

The Adamic race record is important though, for through it came the Savior of all mankind.which includes all races, our Lord Jesus Christ.

American Wisdom Series Editor's Note: We are going to stop here in our "In the Beginning Study" to review some commentary from chapter 1 in an earlier study we published on the the first 11 chapters of Genesis. I don't believe you will find much difference in the general opinion of these 2 authors, but to read another person's perspective of events that took place at the start of God's creation of our universe may prove helpful in your understanding of the beginning of both the first and the second earth ages Because if you don't understand what happened in the beginning you will not understand the remainder of Scriptural teaching.

INTRODUCTION

We begin the study of the "book of all beginnings", Genesis. And for some, especially those who are "beginners" in actually studying God's Word, it shall truly live up to its name. Although the Greek word "Genesis" is not the Hebrew title of the book bearing its name, it means "generation" or "creation".

There are two major points to keep in mind before we begin this adventure into the beginning. First, it is important to keep an open mind and consider carefully that which is being discussed. I have often said that "if you do not know something, then you do not know that you don't know it." That is the very essence of deception, i.e., if a person is deceived, they don't know they are deceived, they believe they have truth.

The reason this is so important is that most Christians with whom I come in contact believe that they already "know" what happened in the beginning, in the garden of Eden, at the flood of Noah, etc. However, the manuscripts declare that which is mostly contrary to the "traditions of men". For example, the word "apple" is not to be found anywhere in the entire Book of Genesis, but is contained throughout the literature used in Sunday Schools to teach our children. A minor point you say? We shall see.

This brings us to the second major concept to keep in mind. "Do not take man's word as being God's Word." When studying the Bible, in depth, you will often be confronted with a choice, "Am I to believe what I just read in God's Word, or should I discard it and continue to believe that which I grew up believing?" The choice is yours.

The apostle Paul gave us instruction as to how to handle "listening to man":

1 Thes. 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

If you can document from God's Word that which you believe, then you do well, even if we disagree. For if your attitude and mine is to believe our Father's Word, regardless of man's traditions, then we will eventually, through growth, harmonize in unity of thought. If you can't document it, you may be harboring a tradition, which could well be a lie, disguised as truth.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Again, the choice is simple, continue to be conformed to traditions, or PROVE that which is good and acceptable.

Also before we begin, it should be noted that volumes of preface and introduction to Genesis could be written. However, it is not our intent in this study to convert the non-believer, nor to convince him or her that God created the heaven and earth and all living beings. Many of them still search in darkness for missing links that cannot be found to support theories which have no foundation. For to admit that God exists would be to admit that there is an authority greater than oneself and therefore that Authority might have something to say about how one conducts his or her affairs. God forbid!

It kind of reminds you of those Indiana Jones types, who run around searching for the "Ark of the Covenant" when it is clear from God's Word that they will not find it. Thou fool! The last verse of chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation will "reveal" where it is located.

Finally, for those who are fortunate to possess a Companion Bible, appendixes three and five will serve as a great foundation to begin a study in Genesis. Appendix three draws thirty parallels between the Book of Genesis and the Book of Revelation, for "there is nothing new under the sun". Appendix five discusses Creation vs. Evolution. (I have only one question to the evolutionist: Since it is obvious that not all apes have as yet evolved into man, which itself will take some fancy explaining, could you show me some that have almost made the transition?, i.e., I'm looking for a living, breathing "almost" man. In fact, I'm looking for an almost anything. Why can you not show me? Did evolution stop?)

And so we begin, at the beginning, with the first sentence, the first ten English words, the first categorical statement in the Word of God. It is a statement so profound and so powerful that it strikes fear in hearts of atheists and ACLU lawyers, and drives them to seek legislation whereby these ten words cannot be uttered in the classrooms of public schools for fear of the "damage" it may cause children. For if they (the children) believe this statement, the next thing you know they'll start believing that they are children of God, and that they are somebody, and that their authority is their heavenly Father. It will then be difficult to control them with socialism and communism. It is better, therefore, that they believe that they are the end product of organic soup, stewed over billions and billions of years, until it formed like jello into monkeys, who then lost most of their hair, and became people.

This first sentence in God's Word is therefore the great dividing wall between all of man's vain (stupid) words and theories and philosophies which precede it, and the wisdom of our Father contained in the words which follow it. It is, therefore, the perfect opening statement to the perfect Word of God. It is the "gate" through which we must pass, else that which follows cannot be absorbed.

Genesis
Chapter 1

Ladies and gentlemen, the first words of truth and wisdom:

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Since this statement is of such importance, let's analyze it. Does it say "when" God created the heaven and earth? No, it doesn't. Does it say that the earth is only 6,000 years old? No, it doesn't. Does it say that He created the earth only? No, it says He created both the heaven and the earth. So, when was the beginning? Why did He create the heaven and the earth? How did we get here? Let us search the scriptures.

In Proverbs chapter eight we see that "wisdom" was with our Father before He created the heaven and the earth. The subject is wisdom:

Proverbs 8:22-30
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. [23] I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. [24] When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. [25] Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: [26] While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. [27] When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: [28] When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: [29] When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: [30] Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

And so our Father decided to have a family, and He created a beautiful home for His children. He created it perfect, as He always does, and He created it to be inhabited. Listen to Him:

Isaiah 45:18
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Let there be no doubt about who is speaking here. It is the Creator God of Genesis 1:1. This is extremely important because He says that He did not create the earth in "vain", but He formed it to be inhabited, and it was habitable. The word "vain" used here is the Hebrew word "tohu" and it means desolation, utter waste. God did not create the earth as a desolation, a wasteland. We just documented it. Do you believe it? It certainly makes sense, for even man doesn't create things "tohu".

Now let us return to Genesis 1 and read verse 2.

[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Uh, oh! We have a big problem. We just read in Gen 1:1 that God created the heaven and the earth and now it says that the earth was without "form" and void, which is the exact same word, "tohu", used in Isa. 45:18. In fact the phrase "tohu va bohu", without form and void, means totally and utterly desolate and wasted. Look it up in Strong's concordance. Remember, don't take man's word for it, document it!

The apparent contradiction (of which there is none, and there never is) lies in the improper translation of the verb "to be" which is translated "was" in verse two, instead of "became". It is exactly the same word translated "became" in Gen. 2:7 "and man 'became' a living soul". Check it out! You will also find that some translations have it correct. In fact, if you have access to an NIV translation, you will note that they suggest "or became" in place of "was".

Therefore, Isa. 45:18 is correct. God created the earth beautiful and perfect, to be inhabited. That could have been millions or billions or trillions of years ago. But then, in verse two, something must have happened because the earth became "tohu va bohu". The beautiful earth that our Father made to be inhabited was destroyed. And guess what? You can see evidence of it everywhere, in the geological layers of the earth's crust, in the fossils pressed between the rocks, in the bones of the dinosaurs, in the tilt of the earth's axis, etc., etc., etc.

So was there a "Lost City of Atlantis"? Was there a "Lost World", a "World That Then Was"? We'll find out! The Bible gives us the answers in detail!

Isn't it amazing that God's Word has the answers to so many intriguing questions concerning such things as the identity of UFO's, the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant, the existence of lost cities such as Atlantis, the extinction of the dinosaurs, etc.? We are constantly told by the "main stream" media and the "higher critics" that the Bible is old fashioned and out of date, but it is they who show their ignorance and remain confused by rejecting Him.

Here is what Peter has to say about the scoffers and mockers of the last days, in the A.D. 2000s, who walk according their own lustful desires.

2 Peter 3:5-7
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. This was of old, in the beginning, before Adam, before the flood of Noah. Those who don't believe it are ignorant, according to Peter!

[6] Whereby the world that then was(world #1), being overflowed with water, perished:

And the earth became without form, and void, "tohu va bohu". It perished! (The Greek word for perish is apollumi, to destroy fully)!

And darkness was upon the face of the deep (water). The earth was overflowed with water and it perished!

But isn't this passage talking about the flood of Noah? No, it is not. The flood of Noah belongs to the next verse, the heaven and earth age which are NOW, the age of flesh man. Noah's flood occurred about 2348 B.C.

[7] But the heavens and the earth, which are now(world #2), by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

And there will yet be another heaven and earth age, the third and final one.

2 Peter 3:13
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth(world #3), wherein dwelleth righteousness.

So Peter declares that there are three heaven and earth ages: 1) The world that then was, which perished, 2) the heaven and earth which is now, and 3) the new heaven and new earth age to come.

But why would God destroy the first heaven and earth age? That answer is simple. Because of the rebellion of one whose name is Satan, who we learn in Revelation 12 drew one third of the sons of God away from Him and into his own camp. Ezekiel tells us what happened to this one?

Ezekiel 28:12-19
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Tyrus means "rock", the false rock, Satan.

[13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. [14] Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Satan was one of the two archangels given charge to protect, i.e. cover, the throne of God. But he wanted to sit on the throne and be the one in charge, i.e. be like God.

[15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

This should answer the question "where did the devil come from"? He was a free-will son of God, created by Him, perfect and beautiful. (Note: Satan does not run around in a little red suit toting a pitch fork.)

Continuing with Satan's fall:

[16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

[17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
[18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Satan has been judged to die the second death, i.e. to perish in the lake of fire. That is why he is called the son of perdition, the son who will perish.

[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Satan, when God is done with him, will cease to exist, which is what happens when something or someone perishes. It's gone, forever and ever!

But judgment for the rest of God's children has been postponed until after the millennium, at the great white throne judgment, until God's plan of salvation, of restoring His sons (whosoever will) to Him, is complete.

So, our Father chose not to judge His other children at the time of Satan's rebellion but chose rather to destroy the "earth age that then was"and create a new heaven and a new earth, which are now, just as Peter explained. The Creator shook this old planet (or perhaps smote it with a meteor) and knocked it off of its true axis and out of its true orbit. That is why there's a magnetic declination where magnetic north and true north are as much as 80 km apart. And since the earth now "wobbles" it produces the "jet stream" which determines patterns of weather and storms.

In the "world that then was" the entire earth was as a tropical garden. That is evidenced by the recent discovery of Mastodons in the artic regions, frozen solid in their tracks, with buttercups still in their mouths.

That global destruction, that "tohu va bohu" of Gen. 1:2, wiped out all living things, and destroyed to utter ruin all the cities and habitable places of that earth age. It is the age to which all "Fossils" and "Remains" belong. The geological evidence of a worldwide catastrophe are everywhere, and then some. Listen to our Father describe the destruction Himself.

Jeremiah 4:22-27
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Dr. Moffat translates the first part of this verse "It is because my people are stupid, and know me not;". Look up the word "sottish", it means "stupid". Hey, He tells it like it is!

[23] I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Here it is, the same "without form, and void", "tohu va bohu". And even the heavens had no light, which is why he later commanded "let there be light". There was light in the days of Noah, but not at this destruction.

[24] I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

The earth was violently shaken.

[25] I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

This couldn't possibly be the flood of Noah, for there were at least 8 people alive then. This says there was NO MAN and NO BIRDS.

[26] I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

That's right! There were cities in the world that then was, and they certainly became "lost". And you and I and all of God's children were there in that "world that then was". Do you remember the mysteries that Paul taught, how in Ephesians 1:4 he tells us that God's elect were chosen before the "katabole", the overthrow of Satan, before the foundation of this earth age? (Stay with us and we'll document it.)

And so we began in Gen. 1:1 with the creation, in the beginning, of a beautiful, inhabitable earth, and we end verse 2 with a dark and desolated world, destroyed by His fierce anger to a state of tohu va bohu.

And out of the total darkness now covering the earth:

Genesis 1:3
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

This light was not the "sun", for it will not be present until the fourth day of creation. This "light" would divide the darkness, and so there would be that choice in this world age, to choose light or to choose darkness. The choice is ours. Here's your light:

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We spent a great deal of time documenting and establishing the fact that the beautiful heaven and earth age "that then was", that which was created in the beginning (Gen 1:1), perished (Gen 1:2). Our Father destroyed it when He overthrew Satan at his rebellion and reduced it to the state of "tohu va bohu", utterly void and desolate. The physical (Scientific) evidence of this destruction is overwhelming, the spiritual (Biblical) evidence is conclusive. There is no conflict between true science and God's Word. There never was and there never will be!

This foundational knowledge is essential to the true understanding of the entirety of God's Word. It is one of the main reasons that many who claim to be instructors and teachers of the Bible struggle to explain what should be simple verses and simple passages. For if you don't understand what happened in the beginning, if you start out with a "mental declination" and are off track just 80 km before you begin, by the time you should have reached your destination of understanding, you will have passed by the major benchmarks of truth and be totally "lost" in the land of confusion, which is the state of Babylon.

The creation, then, which begins in Genesis 1 vs. 3, is the creation of the earth age which is now, the former having passed away. Our Father will once again prepare an habitable place for His children, only this time each child will "pass through" this earth age, in a flesh body, entering in from the womb of woman, and born innocent (which means they will have no prior knowledge of what happened in the "world that was", i.e. their "hard disk" or "hard head", whichever you prefer, will be newly formatted and contain no data.) They can then have an opportunity to make up their own minds as to who they will follow, the "light" or the "darkness".

It is documented in the New Testament, by the apostle Paul, that we should all die, and therefore live, in the flesh (only one time, of course) :

Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

We will soon discover in this great Book of Genesis, written by Moses the prophet and lawgiver, that some of God's sons disobeyed this decree, and boy are they in trouble! What a fascinating story that is, for their actions caused the flood of Noah.

Before we begin with the first day of creation, as we will be moving rather quickly through the rest of chapter one, let us note two points:

1.) You will find that 34 verses in this introductory chapter begin with the word "And". This is a figure of speech called a polysyndeton, and it is used to emphasize and carry forward, like a lamp, and important thought or word. In this case the emphasis is on "God", our Father, in verse one. Keep that thought (Him) in mind each time you read "And God....", for it is emphatic. Also, you will find that each new day begins with the words "And God said..."

2.) There has always been, and continues to be, discussion as to the duration, length of time, of each day of creation, i.e. was it 24 hours as we reckon a day, for it says the evening and the morning comprise the day, or was it longer?

In so far as the sun and moon are not placed until the fourth day of creation (verse 16), it would hardly seem that the current status of a day would apply, at least to days 1-3, would it?

Peter told us in his second book not to be ignorant about this, especially about this one thing, because God does not reckon time as we do.

2 Peter 3:8
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

God's days are not the same as man's.Are the days of creation in Genesis God's, or are they man's? Who is present and who isn't? The answer is obvious. Also, keep in mind that the Lord's Day, that Sabbath of rest, is that period of time we call the millennium, which means 1000 years. So the last "day" of this earth age will be 1000 years. There is nothing new under the sun.

Let us begin, therefore, as the manuscripts declare the perfect work of our Father. He had just decreed the "Light" to divide the darkness, to divide "truth" from "judgment".

Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
[5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The plan of salvation is simple. He loves His children dearly. Will they love Him? The choice is between light and darkness, it is black and white, and for every negative there is a positive.

[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

God spoke and it happened, supernaturally, unlike the receding waters in Noah's time.

[7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

[8] And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

[9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

[10] And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

We see in this earth age both dry land and sea. In the earth age to come (Rev 21:1) He dries up the seas and the earth is restored to its former glory, and then some.

[11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

[12] And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The law of biogenesis states that life can only come from life and that each species reproduces after its own kind. Is it an absolute law?

They tried to teach me in college that all things are "relative" and they started the process by quoting some fellow named Einstein. But "momma didn't raise no fool". I said, "You take all the corn seeds in the world and plant them. I know some won't grow, and some will grow deformed, and some will be taller than others, and some will bear more fruit than others. But I will guarantee you that you won't grow a watermelon from a corn seed. So much for your relativity. Good day."

[13] And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Never forget to look up at night, when the sky is clear, and behold the heavenly bodies, for they declare His glory.

Why did God place the stars in the heavens? To divide the day from the night, yes, but also to be for signs and for seasons and for navigation and for reckoning time. Did you know that the plan of salvation is "written" in the stars and contained within the constellations of the pure Zodiac, including the virgin birth? Too bad man has to pervert and to pollute every work (and word) of God to the point where it becomes unrecognizable as His handiwork.

For those who are blessed to own Companion Bibles, appendix 12, entitled "The Stars Also", will give you a good start on understanding the significance of the heavenly bodies. There are also other resources available by such authors as E. Raymond Capt, E. W. Bullinger, etc. The Bible in the stars... it is truly amazing. see www.artisanpublishers.com

[15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
[16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Did you know that all prophecies in the Bible that pertain to the "children of light" are given in solar terminology, i.e. days, years, etc., and that all prophecies that have to do with Satan and the "children of darkness" are given in lunar terminology, i.e. months or moons? For example, whereas Satan is given power to speak lies and blasphemies for 42 months, God's elect are protected during that time for 1260 days. Check it out, for it is no coincidence.

[17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
[18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
[19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Next we will see flesh man, adam, created. Many of you will be absolutely dumbfounded when you discover who you look like! You think you know? Hmmm, just wait.

We have completed the first four days of the creation of this present earth age. The Spirit of God moved upon a world that had become ruined and desolate and our Father brought forth Light out of the darkness and thus began a new creation.

And so it is with the creation of the "new" man from the "old". When our lives have become completely "tohu va bohu", void and empty and desolate, our loving Father, through His Spirit, brings forth that Light to our world, and a newly created man emerges.

Let us now continue with day five. Five is the number of grace in Biblical numerics. The earth is now ready to sustain life; the waters, the ground, and the sun and moon are all prepared and in place.

Genesis 1:20
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
[21] And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The Hebrew word translated "good" is towb, meaning "beautiful" and "precious".

[22] And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
[23] And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

We now come to the sixth day. Six is the number of man.

[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
[25] And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The wild kingdom is now ready to photograph for movies and documentaries.

[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

The Hebrew word translated "man" is adam. In the manuscripts it is not preceded by the definite article 'eth and so it does not refer to a specific person, i.e. the word adam means human being or mankind, and no gender is implied. This is an extremely important point to understand in order that you may fully comprehend the events in the next few chapters. If you have a Companion Bible it will document it for you.

And so God said, let "us" make mankind in "our" image. The words "us" and "our" refer back to Elohim, which is to say God and the host of heaven, or God and the angels. It does not say that man just looks like God, does it? Keep that in mind as we continue.

I ask you now to draw upon that which has been discussed previously. Remember in the "world that then was" that Satan rebelled and drew one third of God's children away from Him (Rev 12). God sentenced Satan to death at that time, but rather than sentence everyone else, He destroyed that earth age and instituted the plan of salvation, for this earth age. He did not destroy His other children, only Satan was sentenced to perish.

Now I ask you, where did you come from? Where were you before you entered your mother's womb? You came from God. You were with God, of course!And when your flesh dies, it gets buried six feet underground, or cremated (ashes to ashes or dust to dust, it doesn't matter, you're done with it) and you "return" to Him. This is simple. Ecclesiastes tells us what happens when we die, when the silver cord is severed:

Eccles. 12:6-7
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

In other words, when you die.

[7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

And so we return from "whence we cometh"; where we existed while waiting our turn to be born in the flesh.

Do you also remember that we discussed about how simple and easy many scriptures and passages would be to explain if those who taught weren't "willingly ignorant" of the "world that was" and the events that transpired there? Knowing what we've just learned, could you now explain how it is that God named the prophet Jeremiah before he entered his mother's womb? Of course, he was with Him. God knew him. He says so.

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Can you understand how our Father could say He hated (which means to love less by comparison) Esau and loved Jacob, while they we still in their mother's belly (Rom 9:13)? Of course, He knew how disrespectful Esau was in the first earth age.

And finally, can you now understand what the apostle Paul means in Ephesians 1:4 when he says that God's elect were chosen before the foundation of this world, meaning the "katabole" or "overthrow"? Of course, they stood against Satan and earned the right to have God interfere in their lives and use them as He will. Our Father knows all of His children, the good and the rebellious.

So let's go back just before God creates mankind in this earth age. To whom is He speaking? He says, "Let us make man in our image", "after our likeness", to look just like us.

Now think hard. Do you suppose that you look like yourself? As you did in the first earth age before you were born in the flesh? I'll bet you do!

[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

On the sixth day God created mankind, the different races, the ethnos. And He created them male and female!

Was this before "'eth ha Adam" and his wife Eve were formed? Yes it was! This was the sixth day. The man we call Adam was formed on the eighth day and we haven't gotten there yet. So hang in there! However, you now know the answer to a question that often puzzles ministers and even scholars, "When Cain was sent forth into the land of Nod, it says he took a wife. Where in the world did she come from?" The answer is simple, she was of the sixth day creation.

[28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

One of the preliminary requirements for understanding the Bible is that we learn to read what is written, as it is written, and not assume that it aligns or conforms with "tradition", i.e. what we think it says. Did you catch the word "replenish" when you read verse 28? I know I missed it for many years and my mind read "plenish".

To replenish the earth is to populate it once again, for it had been populated in the world that was. Now that too makes sense!

Notice also, that God gave the sixth day man dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and the entire wild kingdom. And so they became hunters and fishers. However, conspicuously absent from this account is any mention of farming and/or tilling the ground. Why? We will find out soon.

[29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
[30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

All that which is necessary to sustain life has been provided by the Creator. Is He good to us, or what?

[31] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Now that we are reading the scriptures much more closely than we used to, we notice that this creation of mankind, of the races, was not just pronounced "good", it was pronounced "very good".

And so, we learn from God's Word that mankind did not evolve from organic slime pits, nor did one precious race evolve from the other. Our Father created them all the races and he created them male and female, and loves them all very, very much. After all, they are His children.

However, in this "politically correct" environment in which we now find common sense turned "tohu va bohu", you can be sure that God fits the liberal definitions of "racist" and "sexist", that is if you can find a liberal who admits that God is not dead.

In chapter 2 we will see God resting for a day (How long would that be anyway?). Then on the next day, the one following the seventh day, which would be the eighth day, we shall meet the great, great, great..... grandparents of Jesus Christ.